Barcelona: ‘I hope I am wrong’ - Former player reveals what Flick lacks to win the Champions League

Barcelona person made a cleanable commencement to the play nether Hansi Flick, winning each 10 games played truthful far. However, not adjacent the 4-1 thrashing of Galatasaray successful Turkey removed the doubts of Abelardo Fernandez astir the Catalans’ chances of winning the Champions League.

Speaking connected the programme Radioestadio Noche on the vigor presumption Onda Cero, the erstwhile Spanish player, who played for Barcelona betwixt 1994 and 2002, said the German manager needs a ‘high-level’ centre-back to situation Europe’s giants.

Fernandez utilized Galatasaray themselves arsenic an example: they opened the scoring connected the counter-attack and appeared to marque it 2-0, but the extremity was disallowed for offside.

‘I deliberation that, to aspire to triumph the Champions League, Barcelona request a high-level centre-back. I judge that... I anticipation I americium wrong’ - began the 56-year-old erstwhile defender.

Fernandez doubts Barcelona’s defence is bully enough

Fernandez acknowledged that Barcelona could extremity an 11-year hold for a Champions League rubric with the squad astatine their disposal, but helium was acrophobic astir erstwhile Flick has to enactment unneurotic a strategy truthful his players tin neutralise attacking powerhouses specified arsenic PSG and Bayern Munich.

‘In the end, you are going to person to triumph antiaircraft duels with Kvaratskhelia, Harry Kane... I deliberation Barcelona, successful defence, inactive deficiency high-level players to beryllium capable to aspire to triumph the Champions League, which they tin win, but I deliberation thing is inactive missing’ - the erstwhile defender concluded.

Since the German’s arrival, Barcelona person played high-intensity shot that has produced respective wide chances successful the last third.

In 2026-27, Barcelona person already scored 43 goals (an mean of much than 4 per game). On the different hand, the antiaircraft signifier has been a constituent of interest for the manager.

Barcelona hunt for centre-backs successful the transportation market

Barcelona person already conceded 9 goals and person ‘only’ 4 cleanable sheets. In Flick’s philosophy, marking starts with the unit of the forwards, whose precocious antiaircraft lines service to unit the hostile into error. But erstwhile opponents get past this blitz, determination are spaces to exploit down the defenders successful speedy transitions.

Therefore, Barcelona’s backmost enactment is heavy tested connected counter-attacks, and idiosyncratic errors thin to make (at least) 1 unsafe shot. Since the departure of Inigo Martinez to Al-Nassr astatine the extremity of 2024-25, Barcelona person been looking for centre-backs successful the market, but person not yet signed immoderate reinforcement susceptible of filling the spread near by the 35-year-old Spaniard.

Since then, Barcelona person relied connected La Masia, to the grade that gems specified arsenic Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin person established themselves successful the starting line-up contempt their youth. The versatility of Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia is besides valued by Flick, due to the fact that they tin play successful cardinal defence oregon arsenic full-backs.

Even so, Barcelona are alert to imaginable deals erstwhile the transportation model reopens successful January. Several names person been speculated astatine Camp Nou, but nary talks are precocious astatine the moment.

While sporting manager Deco works down the scenes connected caller signings, Barcelona look their archetypal large Champions League situation against Luis Enrique’s PSG connected Tuesday 20 October astatine 8pm UK clip astatine the Parc des Princes.